We’ve been watching this baby grow in our garden all summer. We finally picked our prized honeydew (aka “green melon”) today. It’s really amazing how strong the vines of these plants are. We decided to let it ripen on the counter for a few days. I’ll report back when we finally cut into it. I’m not sure the taste is ever going to live up to the hype and excitement surrounding this beaut.
It was a beautiful day for a new hike. Can you handle how pretty this is? Perrot State Park definitely didn’t disappoint. The hike was the perfect distance and the weather couldn’t have been better.
Chris was off work today so he was happy to join us for drop off and pick up at school. Robbe specifically requested a photo with dad by the school sign. They’re so cute, aren’t they?
Robbe had a great first day of 1st grade. He declared it his “best day ever”. He loved being around kids again and was so excited to report that no one even got Covid. Haha.
After weeks of deliberating what would be best for him, seeing him light up [and not stop beaming or talking] for an hour after school made me feel much better. Even as we were getting ready to leave, he had a HUGE smile under the mask.
Robbe goes back to school tomorrow. I don’t want to talk about it. But I will.
We had a lovely, low-key day just being together. It’s hard to believe after six months of this, our little trifecta will be separated. Chase starts on Tuesday. That’ll be the real shock for me. After keeping them in this little bubble for so long, I’m struggling with relinquishing control. Covid stinks, you know?
We struggled endlessly over the decision to go virtual vs. hybrid and I’m still feeling ok about the choice to send them but, man, I’m worried. My one job is to protect these tiny people. To keep them safe and happy and healthy. All of that feels out of my control right now. I don’t love that.
Deep down, I believe they’ll have a good year. They’ll learn a lot academically, of course, but they’ll also learn so much about themselves and the importance of being flexible in life. I just need to focus some effort on doing the same for myself.
Just so I don’t leave you on a sad note, let me tell you about these amazing murals that went up in EC over the weekend. Aren’t they fun? We all need some bright colors and inspiration in life right now. And I don’t know if you know this or not, but Robbe LOVES murals—it was the perfect last day activity to round out the longest summer vacation ever. *You can click on the photos above to enlarge.*
We managed to keep Water Week going through the weekend! The boys waded in a new lake yesterday (it counts, ok?) and we visited Big Falls for some river-swimming today. It’s just beautiful, isn’t it?
I’m not sure what happened but yesterday’s post didn’t go through. Just pretend it’s Friday, ok?
We managed to wrap up five days worth of water activities this week. For someone who doesn’t love frollicking in the water, that’s a big deal. Here’s the breakdown:
Monday: pool swimming
Tueday: river swimming
Wednesday: slip ‘n sliding
Thursday: pool swimming
Friday: hot tubbing
Quite an accomplishment, right?
The little one is officially a full-on swimmer. We’ve spent more of the summer in a pool than I would have ever expected and it’s been really lovely. Covid + super-generous neighbor = lots of swimming. I’ve never been a pool person but after a summer poolside, I kind of get the appeal. There were some days where that hour by the pool was the only time I sat down all day. When you’re home all day, every day it’s hard to turn off the need to be productive. All. The. Time. When we’re at the pool, though, I’m *required* to drop everything and stay focused on just keeping these nuggets safe. It’s going to be a tough summer to say goodbye to—for so many reasons.
I took a video of his swimming to serve as proof. If the video doesn’t show up for you below, you can access it here.
In case I haven’t been clear enough, we have the best neighbors. Seriously. The best. Especially during this Covid craziness, we’ve been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such generous folks. One neighbor lets us use their trampoline. Another lets us use their pool. Yet another lets us use their shoreline for fishing.
That last neighbor (the fishing one) offered up their slip ‘n slide to us recently. The boys have never officially tried slippin’ on a thin sheet of plastic on their bellies. The idea was very bizarre to them. They did get the hang of it, though. Chase figured it out first and Robbe eventually followed suit—after much grit and determination. There’s nothing better on a 90° day in Wisconsin. And we’re beyond grateful and appreciative for all the kind people in our lives.
*They’re yelling “Take that, Covid!” at the beginning of this video. Covid can’t keep us down!
We’re running low on summer days around here. Our goal is to make the most of this low-key, no-schedule, bubbled life.
We’re checking in on a friend’s cat this week and we got to spend the weekend with this super sweet pup. Quality [but temporary] time with furry friends is kind of the best.
This summer looks quite a bit different than summers in the past. One thing that we’ve been able to keep constant? A dedication to consuming our share of ice cream. Someone has to keep the ice cream industry afloat, you know? At least we biked about ten miles today to meet our ice cream quota. That counts for something…I’m sure of it.
Two canoe trips in one summer! Things are getting crazy over here. Our journey down the Beef River had more obstacles than I was expecting but we had a great time. Chris and I are practically canoeing experts now.
Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. My brother and sister in-law from Denver have been here since Wednesday and we’ve been soaking up extra family time. For a million reasons, it feels even more necessary and special this year. This weekend’s adventure was a trip to the hunting cabin. The weather was perfect. The bonfire was excessive. And boys (both young and old) were living their best lives.
Robbe has been helping Great Grandma Joyce with her garden harvest this year. Just about every time we visit my hometown, my dad and Robbe make a stop up to my grandma’s to pick green beans and sometimes potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. Three generations bonding over vegetables. Robbe loves this outing and usually comes back with an animated story about something Grandma Joyce said or did. It warms my heart more than any of them will ever know.
We signed up for a virtual summer school class taught by the boys’ art teacher. A lot of our adventures lately have been inspired (and motivated) by this class. Today was another gem. We went to play in the river in a different part of the city and it was a total blast. The water was really shallow and the boys could frolic on the sand bar with near-total freedom and without me having to worry they would float away. It was a really lovely way to spend part of the afternoon.
*As a side note, I was telling the boys about Biden’s Vice President pick when I heard the news (while they were swimming). On the way home–about 20 minutes later, Robbe said to me, “Mom, if your president doesn’t get voted, I’ll buy you Oreos.” Can you handle how amazingly thoughtful and sweet that is? He even told me he would use his own money. I made a deal with him, though. If my president DOES win (ahem…when he wins), I’ll take the whole family to the new Kwik Trip (convenience store) down the street from us and everyone can pick out any treat they want. Even a slush puppy. That’s how they know I’m being serious. Let’s hope the Kwik Trip treat day wins out. If I’m eating Oreos on election night (or the day after), there’s a good chance I’ll be eating the entire bag…while sobbing. :)
This is most Mondays for us. The boys have 30 minute piano lessons in the afternoon. We've been biking to the instructor's house and then we sit in the front yard. Chase and I read independently while Robbe has his lesson and then Robbe reads to me when Chase goes in. It's probably one of my favorite hours of the week.
It’s only taken us five months of basically staying home all the time to make a dent in some of our home maintenance to-dos. We’ve done everything from tree removal and bush trimming to organizing and painting. My personal favorite has been sanding/cleaning/priming/painting some of the exterior trim on our house (including the base of the columns pictured above). I’m not kidding. I actually really have been enjoying this task. It’s pretty quick. Immediate gratification. And man, what a difference it makes.
Oh-and don’t worry-we’ve still got quite a list to get through. Ah, the joys of home ownership.
We decided to be crazy and make an afternoon trip 30 minutes down the road to this hidden gem today: the Devil’s Punchbowl. We explored in the water (well, two of us did) and then we walked around the UW-Stout campus (where our niece will be attending in the fall) and downtown Menomonie. It was a really lovely way to spend part of the day. And can you handle how pretty it is?
Another day, another bike ride adventure. This time we expanded our biking radius and stopped over to Rod and Gun Park. Pretty streams, no bugs, and lots of ducks. What more could you ask for?
small city | BIG DAYS
home | about | meet the team | work with me | contact
